Spit test: U of I begins COVID-19 saliva testing

University of Illinois Springfield saliva testing for the new coronavirus is up and running as of Aug. 11. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign developed the so-called SHIELD test. The tests are being used at all three U of I campuses. The university system said it wants to supply the tests throughout the state and nation.

Starting Aug. 17, anyone spending time on the UIS campus as a student, faculty or staff member must be tested once per week. "We're going to do surveillance testing, not symptomatic testing," said Karen Whitney, interim UIS chancellor, during a webinar last month. The conversation was about education and COVID-19. Whitney told attendees of the coming school year, "It's gonna be a roller coaster."

On Aug. 10, the University of Illinois System announced a new "university-related organization" that will make the technology available nationally. The test has rapid results and costs less than nasal swabs, according to a news release. Results are ready within six hours. According to the release, "The quick turnaround time for test results is a key in curbing the virus, allowing isolation early enough to limit spread of the infection as well as narrowing down past exposure to allow more effective contact tracing. It also identifies and isolates people with asymptomatic cases who would otherwise spread the virus unknowingly."

This story appeared in the Illinois Times on Aug. 13, 2020.

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Fall semester at UIS will be mixture of in-person, online classes

On-campus educational activities will resume this fall at the University of Illinois system’s three universities in Urbana, Chicago and Springfield with a hybrid mixture of in-person and online classes.

The announcement was made in a letter Thursday from system president Tim Killeen. It was also signed by Barb Wilson, executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs, and the system’s chancellors.

Plans to restore in-person instruction were developed through weeks of exhaustive review that brought together literally hundreds of key stakeholders and considered every available option, from a full return to traditional instruction to remaining fully online, Killeen noted.

The decision assumes that Illinois stays on track to meet Phase 4 requirements established by Gov. JB Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan that allow reopening of classrooms.

Currently, UIS starts classes Aug. 24.

“UIS is still going to be providing details of our unique campus-based plan within the next couple of weeks, including starting dates and calendars for the fall semester,” said Derek Schnapp, a spokesman for UIS.

The plan, Killeen said in the letter, is “a thoughtful, science-based approach that will bring our universities back to life, with a campus experience that will look somewhat different.”

In-person courses and classroom schedules will be adjusted appropriately to ensure physical distancing and safer traffic flow.

There will be accommodations made “where possible” for students and faculty in vulnerable and at-risk groups, and for students who cannot come to campus due to travel restrictions or other considerations.

Campus classrooms will be cleaned and disinfected daily. High-touch surfaces, including door handles and elevator buttons, will be disinfected multiple times daily.

All students will be provided reusable, washable masks which will be required in all classrooms. Hand sanitizer will be widely available in all buildings.

Outside visitors to the campus will be asked to follow physical distancing and wear masks in public places. The size of gatherings on campus will be based on standards under the state reopening guidelines in force.

Schnapp said there a “very limited” number of workers on campus. Remote work, he added, “remains appropriate for employees who can complete the essential functions of their job or effectively perform their job duties while working remotely to the satisfaction of their supervisors.”

A system-wide coordination committee assisted steering committees and planning teams at each of the three universities.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on June 18, 2020.

Unreal Treadmill Sessions Push College Coach to Olympic Trials

Runners at the University of Illinois Springfield abide by two rules: Be a good person, and work harder than anyone else in the room.

Their coach, 26-year-old Tyler Pence, labors right alongside them, picking up trash during community service projects and logging up to 120-mile weeks in preparation for February’s Olympic Marathon Trials.

After a successful collegiate career, Pence wasn’t sure he’d continue running competitively. But when he headed back to his hometown to coach at UIS four years ago, he found himself motivated and challenged by his athletes. “I’m a big believer in practicing what you preach,” he told Runner’s World. “Here I am telling them what it takes to be good, and I wasn’t doing it at the time.”

By December 2018, his efforts paid off. In his second attempt at the distance, he ran 2:15:36 at the California International Marathon, finishing in 17th place and earning a Trials spot. At the same time, he’s led the UIS Prairie Stars from a brand-new program into contention for conference titles. The men’s cross-country team was the runner-up at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships in October, and the women placed sixth. And two of his runners, Taryn Christy and Blake Jones, qualified for this year’s NCAA Division II Cross-Country Championships.

“When you’re around hard workers, that’s contagious,” he said. “We hold each other accountable.”

His Trials training has also included a three-week stint at altitude in Colorado Springs over winter break, and he’ll line up at the Houston Half Marathon on January 19.

He doesn’t have a specific goal in Atlanta, and knows his first experience may come with a learning curve. As he tells his athletes, “You don't become great overnight.” Eventually, he hopes to mature into one of the fastest U.S. marathoners. He has big goals for his runners, too—for example, taking the full men’s and women’s cross-country teams to nationals next year—and he sees the two pursuits as entirely complementary.

His running has served as a valuable recruiting tool for the young coach, in addition to the personal fulfillment it brings. “I won’t be able to do this forever,” he said, of the dual roles. “But I don’t want to leave my life having questions of, ‘What if I would have tried?’”

This story appeared in Runners World on January 14, 2020.

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LGBTQIA+ program rebranded to expand inclusion

The University of Illinois Springfield Office of Gender and Sexuality Student Services rebranded its LGBTQIA+ training program to encourage supportive students, faculty and staff on campus to take even more actionable steps towards inclusion.

In 2001, Safe Zone training began. This semester, the initiative was rebranded Brave Space training. 

“For the past 25 years, Safe Zone-type programs on college campuses have always been about supportive allies hanging a sign to show they were safe to come out to as a sexual or gender minority, while encouraging conversation with others that have questions about LGBTQIA+ people,” said Kerry Poynter, director of the UIS Office of Gender and Sexuality Student Services. “The name change reflects the UIS Safe Zone Committee’s desire for members to take brave steps to engage in difficult conversations that affirm LGBTQIA+ people.”

This story aired on WCIA on September 20, 2019.

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Susan Koch: UIS employees’ lives in the community

The following is an excerpt from a column by University of Illinois Springfield Chancellor Susan Koch. This column appeared in The State Journal-Register on August 3, 2019.

Each of the more than a thousand faculty and staff at the University of Illinois Springfield contributes in myriad ways to providing pathways of opportunity for students that prepare them for success. But as musical artist Dolly Parton once said: “You should never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.“

As Chancellor of UIS, I’ve found it fascinating to discover the many ways valued employees “make a life” outside their work.

This UIS Perspectives column provides a glimpse into some of their stories.

The performing arts is a passion for many UIS employees including Linda Schneider and Steve Marvel. Schneider, whose day job is office administrator in Academic Affairs, has been involved in community theater for many years — combining her acting talent with her love of history. Schneider has portrayed many historical figures including Nellie Grant Jones (daughter of Ulysses S. Grant) for the annual Oak Ridge Cemetery Walk sponsored by the Sangamon County Historical Society. “My most memorable experience thus far,” says Schneider, “was portraying Mary Lincoln for an appearance on Conan O’Brien’s late night talk show.”

In his off hours, Marvel is rocking out as keyboardist and vocalist with “Off the Wall,” one of the most popular pop/rock bands in Central Illinois.

Not many can claim to have a national champion in the family — but Doug Brackney, administrative aide in the UIS Career Development Center, has several! Brackney has been showing champion Persian cats for more than 20 years. His silver Persian named Romeo is not only a national champion but has also been “spokes-cat” for Royal Canine Persian cat food — landing him and his human companions an all-expense paid trip to New York City that included a limousine, a stay in a posh Madison Avenue hotel and a photo shoot with international fashion photographer Platan.

It is a privilege to work with so many talented and dedicated faculty and staff every day at UIS. With their many contributions both on campus and off, they’re not just making a living. They’re making a difference ... and making a life.

Read the entire column online.

D2 Baseball: Illinois-Springfield Finding Success Through A Simple Message

The Prairie Stars from Illinois-Springfield have never been nationally ranked, won their conference championship, or made it into the NCAA Tournament.

But so far this season, it seems all that is bound to change with UIS currently 23-4 through April 4, following an 0-3 start to their season. That's 23 wins in their last 24 games to put themselves firmly in the conversation as one of the best teams in D2 Baseball right now.

What has been the secret to the huge run of success that has seen the team build separate winning streaks of eight and fifteen games? A simple message from head coach Chris Ramirez: "Do what it takes to win now, then do what it takes to win later."

The story was reported by HERO Sports on April 6, 2018.

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New director plans changes for Sangamon Auditorium

Bryan Rives took over as director of Sangamon Auditorium in October 2017 and has been busy for the past six months reimagining the 40-year-old, 2,005-seat venue both physically and conceptually. His plans include a revamped approach to booking and some long-overdue renovations as well as an upcoming overall rebranding.

“It’s been going fantastic,” said Rives during a recent conversation in his office in the Public Affairs Center on the campus of University of Illinois Springfield, which also houses the auditorium. “The staff here is wonderful, the university administration is very supportive. They are definitely looking for us to build on the past success and to present a wide range of shows.”

Increased attendance and more fiscal responsibility are high on his list of priorities. “We need to focus on presenting shows that will attract a large audience – at our capacity, it’s not a good feeling for the performing artists, or for the audience, when only 300 people come for the show.” He explained that there is a large amount of financial risk every time the auditorium presents a show. “Jazz at Lincoln Center and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater were both incredible performances with high artistic quality,” he said, “and I’m glad they were presented here. But each of them came at a financial loss of about $25,000. That’s two shows, a total of maybe four hours of entertainment, that ended up costing the university $50,000.”

The story was reported by the Illinois Times on April 5, 2018.

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Area colleges: Illinois-Springfield announces plans for fieldhouse

Athletic director Jim Sarra announced Tuesday that the University of Illinois Springfield plans to build a 92,000 square foot indoor fieldhouse that will impact all 17 sports at UIS.

It is expected to have a six-lane rubber track and areas for pole vault, long jump, triple jump and throws. It will also have turf infield, baseball and softball hitting tunnels, a golf hitting and training area and multi-purpose flooring to accommodate tennis, volleyball and basketball.

The story was reported by The State Journal-Register on October 18, 2017.

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Sangamon Auditorium names new director

Bryan Rives, a performing arts center manager with more than 30 years of experience, has been named the next director of the University of Illinois Springfield’s Sangamon Auditorium.

Rives will be the auditorium’s “director designate” from July 3 to Sept. 30 and will take over as director on Oct. 1 following the retirement of director Robert Vaughn.

Most recently, Rives has served as tour manager and company manager for Talmi Entertainment, where he was responsible for the Moscow Ballet Nutcracker Tour, an eight-week, 43-city tour in the United States and Canada. In addition, he was a production manager for Celebrity Cruises in Miami from May 2014 to October 2016 and a company manager for several other touring productions.

From 2007 to 2011, Rives was director of event services at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, where he oversaw the university’s performing arts center and regional ticketing system.

“I am excited to be returning to the great state of Illinois,” Rives said in a statement. “The University of Illinois Springfield’s Sangamon Auditorium is not only a beautiful venue for the campus and greater metro area, but the current director and staff have put together a fantastic season of events for the upcoming year which I expect will bring out record attendance.”

Sangamon Auditorium, which seats 2,018, hosts more than 120 performances annually.

The story was reported by The State Journal-Register on June 1, 2017.

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Chicago-area man free on bail, gets new trial in arson case

William Amor has walked out of a suburban Chicago prison after a judge vacated his 1997 conviction on charges of arson and murder in his mother-in-law's death.

Amor, 60, of Naperville, spent the last 22 years behind bars after he was arrested in 1995 accused of intentionally igniting the 1995 Naperville fire that killed Marianne Miceli. But DuPage County Judge Liam Brennan in early April vacated Amor's conviction after considering new advances in fire science.

Amor's new trial date is Sept. 12. He is represented by the University of Illinois-Springfield's Illinois Innocence Project. Lauren Kaeseberg, legal director of the group's Chicago office, said they believe the fire was an accident and he should have never been charged.

"We are ecstatic to be here today looking up at the clouds and breathing the fresh air with Bill," she said Tuesday. "It's really great."

The story was reported by the Associated Press on May 31, 2017.

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Illinois Innocence Project honored by Decatur NAACP

Charles Palmer has thanked members of the Illinois Innocence Project hundreds of times for coming up with the DNA evidence that exonerated him from the murder he'd spent 16½ years in prison for.

On Saturday night, Palmer was present at the Decatur Hotel and Conference Center to see the Decatur community thank the Illinois Innocence Project, which became the first entity outside Decatur to win the Joe Slaw Civil Rights Award, given annually by the Decatur Branch of the NAACP.

Illinois Innocence Project Executive Director John Hanlon called Palmer and his wife Deborah Palmer to the podium as he accepted the award, but Palmer said all the credit should go to the Innocence Project staff, whom he hugged individually before leaving.

"I'm glad they're finally getting the recognition they deserve," Palmer said. "They're out there affecting people's lives for the better. They said they got this award because of me, but it's not because of me, it's because of the fight they put up for justice.

"Just to be a part of seeing them get honored, and being the first from outside of Decatur to win the award, that meant a lot to me."

The Decatur NAACP has been awarding the Slaw award for more than 30 years. Jeanelle Norman, NAACP Decatur Branch president, said it took a special circumstance to give the awards to someone outside Decatur.

"Their work gave us hope and justice, and it moved the Decatur community one giant step forward in criminal justice," Norman said. "The NAACP believes the service of the Illinois Innocence Project was of such magnitude."

Based out of the University of Illinois-Springfield, the Illinois Innocence Project's goal is to bring justice to the wrongfully convicted.

The story was reported by the Decatur Herald & Review on May 27, 2017.

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UIS’ Ramirez closing in on 100 career wins

University of Illinois Springfield baseball coach Chris Ramirez is just three wins shy of 100 for his career.

He has 97 wins in four seasons. UIS had 20-plus win seasons in each of his first three years.

Ramirez has a chance to reach the milestone this weekend, with the Prairie Stars playing doubleheaders at Bellarmine today and Saturday. UIS plays Tuesday at home against Truman State.

UIS is tied with Southern Indiana for first in the Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division with a 9-3 conference record. The Stars are 19-13 overall.

The story was reported by The State Journal-Register on April 14, 2017.

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Springfield’s art scene is riding high

The UIS Visual Arts Gallery, on the campus of University of Illinois Springfield, where Allison Lacher works her day job as gallery manager has hosted an eclectic array of work this year, including an exhibition by St. Louis artist Lyndon Barrois, Jr., which took as its subject the late iconic musician Prince. “That was really timely in the context of Prince’s passing and it was a different show for us,” Lacher said. Other memorable exhibits this year included Washington, D.C.’s Paul Short who mounted an ambitious combination exhibition, lecture and workshop centering around cultural and economic stigmas associated with loitering. A recent two-person show by central Illinois figurative painters Amanda Greive and Stanley Bly turned out to be a big hit with attendees. “They presented a cohesive exhibition where their work was very much in dialogue with one another while maintaining their individual identities,” Lacher said.

The spring semester is slated to kick off at the gallery with an exhibition from Tyler Lotts, a professor of ceramics at ISU, followed by a March 2 presentation from Diaz-Lewis, a husband and wife collaboration between Alejandro Diaz and Cara Lewis. “Alejandro is a Cuban refugee,” Lacher explains, “and he and Cara have created an ongoing work entitled ‘34,000 Pillows’ in response to a congressional mandate stating that immigration and customs enforcement agents are required to maintain a quota of 34,000 detained immigrants per day in 250 centers around the country.” The couple is trying to make a pillow for every detainee of this mandate and will be bringing a “Pillow Workshop” to the UIS gallery along with other work.

“That’s the beauty of programming here at UIS,” Lacher said. “One month you might have a more traditional exhibition of figurative painting and then follow it up with a very socially conscious and culturally diverse project.”

The story was reported by the Illinois Times on December 15, 2016.

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Food pantry started to help hungry UIS students

University of Illinois Springfield graduate student Malayzja Anderson knows that students like her are at times compelled to stretch their money and food in resourceful ways.

Food insecurity in particular is common among students, Anderson has found. She’s addressing that issue by helping to stock donated, nonperishable food items for the university’s new UIS Cares, an initiative that provides a food pantry for students.

“Around this time of year, especially as the semester is ending, meal plans are depleted, so students often eat at their friends’ houses or may not eat as much for the day,” said Anderson, 25, a world history masters candidate and graduate assistant in UIS’ Diversity Center. “With the food pantry, they’re able to come in and just grab something to supplement them.”

UIS Cares opened for the first time from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday at the Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center, Student Affairs Building 60, on the UIS campus.

UIS Cares also will be open to UIS students for the fall semester from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, and Thursday, Dec. 1.

“It will be ongoing,” said Mark Dochterman, director of the Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center. “It also has its own email address (UISCares@uis.edu), and people can contact us directly and set up a time. Hunger doesn’t happen on our schedule. If somebody needs to come in between these dates or a different time … we’ll work with them on an individual basis.”

The story was reported by The State Journal-Register on October 21, 2016.

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Matsen sisters are student-athletes and ambassadors for UIS

University of Illinois Springfield student-athletes and sisters Jocelyn Matsen and Emily Matsen play different sports in the same season, so the Rochester High School graduates turn to technology to keep tabs on what the other one is up to.

“I watch her soccer games even if we are traveling in the bus,” said Jocelyn, a senior on the UIS women’s golf team. “I’ll pull it up on my phone or I’ll watch it at the hotel.”

Golf tournaments aren’t usually broadcast over the Internet.

“I’ll look at the live stats and if our mom goes to watch, she’ll text me every three holes,” said Emily, who also is a member of UIS women’s basketball team.

There’s a lot for the sisters, who are one year and eight months apart, to keep up with this fall.

Jocelyn was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week on Oct. 13.

"She played exceptionally well," UIS golf coach Frank Marsaglia said. "She just seems more relaxed on the course this year. I think that's why you’re seeing lower scores from her.”

Emily is a junior starter on a women's soccer team that has set the program’s single-season record for wins at seven and she was the hero in one of those victories. Emily scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win against Wisconsin-Parkside on Sept. 30. It was UIS’ first time ever beating the Rangers.

The story was reported by The State Journal-Register on October 21, 2016.

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UIS women's soccer team aims to increase scoring, wins

The University of Illinois Springfield women’s soccer team could have had a much better record for the 2015 season had the Prairie Stars not lost six games by a single goal.

Despite the near misses, UIS set the program record for most wins in a season with a 5-11-2 record. It also set the record for Great Lakes Valley Conference wins with a 4-9-2 mark.

“Our goal is to make more history and set a record again for most wins,” UIS junior forward Emily Matsen said. “It’s good we set it last year, but we want to improve on that and make the conference tournament.”

Added UIS junior center back Regina Bolin, “Last year was definitely a steppingstone for this year, and this year we have a lot more talent.”

The team was featured by The State Journal-Register on September 2, 2016.

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Prairie Stars soccer out to score more goals in 2016

With 15 goals in 18 games, the University of Illinois Springfield men's soccer squad was the second-lowest scoring team in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in 2015. That was last year.

“Once we can possess the ball in the final third and be able to be creative with it, we’ll be able to have more shots on goal and more opportunities to score,” UIS senior midfielder Mac Leverenz. “With the quality of players that (UIS coach Adam Hall) has brought in hopefully we can capitalize.”

In the offseason, UIS hired Hall as head coach. The Scotland native previously coached in the GLVC at Saint Joseph’s. He brings a fresh attitude and new style. He has assembled a large roster with lots of new players, including several from the United Kingdom and South America.

“There’s a good buzz around the team,” said UIS junior defender Jack Coombes. “We have healthy competition. The last few years you sort of could pick the starting 11, then not know what you’re going to get from the rest.”

Hall is excited about the depth.

“We have some problems in determining who would be the starting back four,” he said. “There’s at least seven guys who have held their own and shown something we’re excited about. And there are four positions up for grabs.

The story was reported by The State Journal-Register on August 25, 2016.

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City surveying residents on how Springfield should grow

Community leaders, city officials and residents often talk about one-way streets and downtown parking, a proposed second lake and westward expansion. The city this week is mailing short surveys to about 5,000 randomly selected residents on these and other issues facing Springfield.

The city and the Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission will use the survey results to help guide a 20-year comprehensive plan. The plan, which was last completed in 2000, will focus on how land in Springfield should be used and developed.

The University of Illinois Springfield’s Survey Research Office helped design the survey and will gather the responses for the steering committee.

“We are hoping for about 500 responses, a 10 percent response rate,” said Juan Carlos Donoso, director of the research office. But he noted that it could be more, as others can access the survey online.

The story was reported by The State Journal-Register on August 22, 2016.

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UIS Hires Strength Coach

Chris Lowe has been hired as the University of Illinois Springfield’s first director of strength and conditioning.

He was previously the strength and conditioning coach at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. He was the Olympic Strength and Conditioning intern for eight months at the University of Iowa.

Lowe is a native of Monrovia, Maryland. He holds a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Towson University. He received his master’s degree in kinesiology from Texas A&M-Kinsgville.

This story was reported by The State Journal Register on August 12, 2016.

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New UIS athletic director lays out his vision

The University of Illinois Springfield introduced its new athletic director to the public Wednesday afternoon during a press conference in the atrium of The Recreation and Athletic Center, and Jim Sarra mapped out his vision for the university in front of a crowd of 200 or so that included Sarra’s family as well as UIS coaches, athletes, boosters and media members.

Sarra was named June 22 to succeed Kim Pate, who left UIS to become athletic director at Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory, North Carolina. His first day on the job was Monday. His parents were on hand along with his wife, Heather, son J.T., and daughter Jordin.

“Our top priority is being student-athletes,” Sarra said. “That will always be our top priority. I will take 90, 100 days to listen and learn what’s going on here.

“No. 2 is having a winning program, establishing a championship program. We will be competitive. I love to win; just ask my family if you don’t believe me. We will set our goals high.

“And third is a community connection. We want to build a lasting relationship with the community. We will be visible in the community.

“We need your support.”

The story was reported by The State Journal-Register on August 4, 2016.

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